US military officials on Saturday said Iran launched seven ballistic missiles toward the neighboring Gulf nations of Kuwait and Bahrain, with US forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had hit “enemy bases” in the Gulf. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
UN food agency says millions are being pushed into hunger by Iran war
The UN food agency said millions of people are being pushed into acute hunger by the Iran war, as it warned would happen if the conflict escalated and oil prices remained high.
In March, World Food Program predicted that 45 million people could be pushed into food insecurity by the end of June. That would be on top of the 318 million people around the world who are already food insecure.
“We remain by that prognosis,” WFP’s acting Executive Director Carl Skau told UN reporters.
“The correlation between the prices of energy and food is so tight in many places. In the poorest countries people are already spending all their money on food, and hence when food prices rise, they eat less.”
WFP said in its report, circulated late Thursday, that its findings indicate the Mideast crisis is generating “significant spillovers,” particularly on the prices of food and fuel, and disrupting trade.
“These impacts are expected to intensify in the coming months, even if the crisis in the Middle East de-escalates,” WFP said.
Kuwait says responding to ‘hostile’ missile and drone attacks
Kuwait’s military said early Saturday is was responding to “hostile” missile and drone attacks, without specifying their origin.
“The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces confirms that any explosions that may be heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks,” the Kuwait Army added.
Iran’s foreign minister says Lebanon not a bargaining chip
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has rejected remarks by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon was a bargaining chip for Tehran.
Aoun said on Friday that Iran was using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip in its negotiations with the United States” and that Lebanese people were paying the price for Iran’s interests.
“Had Lebanon been bargaining chip for Iran, we’d have a deal long ago,” Araqchi posted on X. “Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President.”
US authorizes sale of $2 bn in anti-drone weapons to Kuwait
The United States announced Friday its approval of a $1.98 billion arms sale to Kuwait.
In a statement, the US State Department said it would allow purchases of counter-drone technology from defense company Anduril, which was founded by a supporter of President Donald Trump.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the statement said.
US says Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait, Bahrain
US forces intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, Central Command has said.
Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after CENTCOM shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz, the statement said.
US forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island, it said.
CENTCOM said that initial assessments indicate six of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its intended target.
However Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they hit “enemy bases” in the Gulf.
“Following the invasion of the child-killing and terrorist US army into Sirik and Qeshm Island, enemy bases in the region were hit by aerial missiles,” state broadcaster IRIB reported, quoting the Guards.
Welcome to FRANCE 24’s liveblog covering events in the Middle East. Click here to catch up on what happened yesterday.
The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran targeting network allegedly using front companies in the United Arab Emirates and China to export Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Iran to South and Eastern Asia by falsely flagging it as originating in Oman, the Treasury said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the idea of his country’s supreme leader meeting Donald Trump, after the US president floated the prospect. “I think we should be realistic and think and live in the real world,” Araghchi said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Iran not to interfere in his country in an interview broadcast on Friday, also telling the Tehran-backed Hezbollah that diplomacy was the only solution to the conflict with Israel. He said Iran’s leader’s were “using Lebanon as a bargaining chip” in their negotiation with the United States which was “unacceptable”.
